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If denim trends could be reduced to a science, we are currently seeing jean splicing at its finest. That is, tweaking a frumpy style to make it fresh and fashionable.

It would be presumptuous to suggest that women are ready to sack the skinny. But a certain amount of ennui has set in. Thankfully, the arrival of a wider leg complemented by a fitted higher waist signals the wait is over.

Like the skinny jean, the wide leg's DNA can be traced to high fashion. And, of course, manufacturers can create clones in a New York minute.

The wide-leg jean's near universal appeal is a no-brainer to David Wolfe, the fashion industry's go-to forecaster.

“It may be cutting edge to devout fashionistas, but it's great news for women who are not greyhound thin,” he says from New York, where he is creative director for the Doneger Group. “It's less challenging, more figure-flattering and more comfortable too. Right now, it's the most avant-garde, but also the most commercial jean out there.”

Perhaps that's why mothers and daughters – not to mention Hollywood (Penelope Cruz, Jessica Alba and Kate Bosworth) – are delighted by the flattering tush and flowy leg of the Deluxe from Hudson. Carefully designed to avoid the “mom jean” shape, it's considered a “sexy, going-out jean,” says the company's Canadian spokeswoman, Sarrah Shiner.

The reason is that they're more polished – think trouser rather than Saturday civvies. Dark denim or the forthcoming black poplin looks dressier – more so because there's no whiskering or contrast stitching. The leg opening pushes the limits at 27 inches, whereas most legs aren't wider than 24 inches.

Joel Carman, owner of Toronto's denim hot spot Over the Rainbow, points out that wide-leg jeans work so well for summer because they're half the weight of typical denim (seven ounces down from 14). He says that the Hudson Deluxe, in addition to Fidelity's Dream and the DoJo from Seven for All Mankind, are being snatched up in sizes 31 and 32 (the skinny-jean customer is pretty self-explanatory).

Though Rob Lo, co-owner of Vancouver's Dutil boutique, crowns the Deluxe the perfect pair of wide-leg jeans, he says the style has yet to garner, er, widespread appeal. His theory: They're no good if you're over 28 (in waist size, not age). “They make you look like you have two butts,” he says of a pair from Citizens of Humanity featuring a dooming double yoke.

But that's just it. Wide-leg jeans don't need extra details, or else they lose their lines.

This applies to choosing tops as well: Restraint is key. Bigger bottoms require slim or structured tops. Summery tanks, body-skimming blouses and cropped blazers all work particularly well. Midriffs, not so much.

Maturity is the MO of the wide leg. But please don't be boring. Wearers of wide legs look like moneyed jet-setters who've jettisoned their bling but still shack up at the Hôtel du Cap for a few thousand euros a night (incidentally, many wide-leg designer brands are upwards of $200). The upshot is that flip-flops and cork platforms project that perfect message of inconspicuous consumption versus fancy footwear more visible with skinny jeans.

Hudson's Shiner says she knows many women who buy a second pair of Deluxe jeans, shortening one for flats and keeping the other long. We can only conclude that such denim devotion must be in their genetic code.

Widening your horizons Pick a long pair: This is still a trend in the designer segment of the denim market. Even as skinnies are going on sale at Suzy Shier, you will find wide legs only in your more chi-chi jean boutiques. Good news is that the expensive brands – Hudson, Fidelity, Gsus – come nice and long for Jolly Green Giant girls.

Make sure your top is narrow, and long: Even though wide-leg denims ride high at the waist, you will look foreshortened if you tuck. So let your top down.

Go for dark: Wide jeans look best in indigo. Some jean fanatics dry-clean their pants to keep ‘em nice and deep in tone.

Flip-flops are always fine. But we like wedgies and platforms best: Especially perfect are the Kork-Ease handmade platform wedges. Just revived in 2006 after the legendary brand sank in the hippie quicksand of the seventies, haute knockoffs appeared on the Prada and Chloe runways this spring. Best news is you can get the original for less